Mute for wind instruments



July 14, 1925. 1,546,258

G. SCHLUESSELBURG MUTE FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS File March 24, 1924 Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1 1,546,258 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SCHLUESSELBURG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF 'IO P. T.

HARMON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUTE FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed March 24, 1924. Serial No. 701,428.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE SoHLUEssnL- BURG, a citizen of the German Re ublic, residing at Chicago, in the county 0 Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mutes for Wind Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has to do with improvements in mutes for wind instruments such as cornets, horns, etc. One object of 'the invention is to provide a mute of self-contained construction which can be readily set into or removed from the wind instrument; and which mute when in place will in it self provide the muting effect without depending upon the walls of the horn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of mute such that the back pressure in the wind instrument will not be appreciably increased. This is a very important feature from the standpoint of reducing the strain on the player.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the mute that a very beautiful and soft tone will be produced in the operation of the wind instrument with the mute in place. In this connection, it 'is a further object to so construct the mute that undesirable metallic tones will be greatly eliminated.

A further object is to provide a mute having an outer shell of fixed dimension, together with an inwardly and rearwardly curved neck which is very much shorter and smaller than the shell; together with an adjustable tube within said neck which can be adjusted longitudinally thereof according to the muting action which it is desired to produce.

A further object is to so arrange the parts of the shell as to aviod trapping the air therein in a manner which will materially interfere with the free and easy delivery of the air and also in a manner which will give the desired quality of tone.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through a mute embodying the features of ,the present invention, and shows an addrical form. At the outer end 7 this justable tube in place therein, together with a funnel on the end of said tube, the tube and funnel being shown in one position by means of full lines and in another position by means of dotted lines;

Fig. 2 shows a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 shows on small scale the manner in which the mute of Fig. 1 can be applied to the horn of a wind instrument;

Fig. 4 shows a view similar to that of Fig. 1, but illustrates a modified construction of mute; and

Fig. 5 shows still another modified construction of the device. In Fig. 5, I have I also illustrated the tube without any funnel,

showing the fact that the funnel itself can be used or not as desired.

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the mute includes a circular shell 6 the body portion of which is of 0 ll;-

0 y portion is curved over commencing with an easy curve which extends for approximately or until the curve directly approaches the axis of the cylinder. hereafter the curvature is greatly increased so that in the portion 8 the curvature is extremely gradual and finally terminates in a backwardly reaching neck portion 9 of substantially uniform diameter forsome dis-- tance.

To the rear end of the member 6 there is rigidly secured an outwardly flared section 10, the curve of which is very easy and corresponds somewhat to the general curve of the end portion 11 of the wind instru ment with which the mute is to be used.

The sections 6 and 10 may be rigidly joined together in any convenient manner; and in the construction illustrated, this is by means of interlocking flanges 12 and 13.

It is noted that the rear edge 1 of the tubular section 9 is well in advance of the rear edge 15 of the section 10, so that a very large and ample space is allowed between the reare'd e 14 of the tubular section 9 and the inside face of the member 10.

The mute can be used in the form thus far described and without any supplemental attachments. It is preferred that the rear portion of the member 10 be lined with a relatively thin layer of cork or similar material 16, so that when the mute is set into the wind instrument, it will be held securely therein in a substantially air-tight manner and rattle and other noises due to metallic contact will be eliminated.

When using the mute, it will be found that due to easy curvature at the front end of the air box the blast of air will travel down along the outer side of the annular space 17 and will be deflected rearwardly to the edge 14 of the member 9. As a consequence a partial vacuum is established within the space 17.

If desired, a supplemental attachment may be used in the form of a tube 18 which is slipped into the neck 9 and can be shifted back and forth therein as shown by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this way the rear edge 19 thereof can be adjusted with respect to the position of the rear edge 15 of the mute proper.

Preferably, the outer end of the tubular member 18 is carried well beyond the position of the neck 9, as shown for example in Fig. 5, so that the air is delivered at a point v quite clear of the curved portion 8 of the mute itself.

If desired, also a funnel member 2O can be used in conjunction with the outer end of the tubular member 18, although the use thereof is optional.

In the modified construction of Fig. 4, the body portion 21 is cylindrical throughout its major portion, and its front end 22 curves inwardly towards the axis on an easy curve. This curvature continues substantially tothe point of direct approach to the axis of the mute, whereby the curvature is considerably increased in the section 23. The extreme inner portion is then turned back on a rather sharp curve 24 and is con tinued rearwardly by a cylindrical neck 25: The member 26 is preferably longer and formed on an easier curve than the member 10 of Fig. 1, as clearly evident from Fig. 4.

Preferably the neck 25 terminates at a point in advance of the line of .joinder 27 between the members 21 and 26. If desired also the supplemental tubular member 28 can be. used.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 5, the cylindrical member 29 has its forward end curved on the easy curve 30 through an amount slightly less than 180, and then continued rearwardly in a tapering cylindrical portion 31. The rear end of this portion 31 1s then curved inwardly towards the axis on the curve 32 and terminates in a rearwardly extending cylindrical neck portion 33. The rear member 34 is provided as previously, and the members 29 and 34 are joinedtogether within-a plane which approximately passes through the rear end of the neck portion 33. The supplemental member 35 may also be provided as previously. I wish to point out the fact that the annular space 17 in the several figures is not a chamber in the proper sense of the word, since the rear end of the neck member in each case terminates so far in advance of the point of entry of air into the mute that this neck constitutes merely a flange terminating the curvature of the front por tion of the body of the device. In like manner the supplemental members 18, 28 and 35 respectively are not partitions in the proper sense of the word, but are simply adjustable tone varying devices which can be set into different positions according to the amount of muting action desired and according to the volume of tone which it is sought to produce.

. "While I have herein, shown and described only certain embodiments of the features of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself to the same, except as I may do so in the claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture a mute for a wind instrument comprising a cylindrical body member of substantially uniform diameter having its front portion inturned towards the axis of the device on a relatively easy curve, the radius of which curve increases as the curvature approaches the.

axis of the device, and terminates in a relatively short. rearwardly-extending cylindrical flange parallel to the axis of the device, together with a rear section secured to the rear edge of said cylindrical portion and curving inwardly and rearwardly on an easy curve of size and curvature generally corresponding to the terminal portion of a wind instrument with which the mute is to be used, and a separate tubular member of substantially uniform diameter slidably mounted within the axially extending neck portion aforesaid and terminating forwardly of the rear edge of the rear section, and adjustable therein to bring its rear end into adjusted position with respect to the interior of the mute, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture a mute for a wind instrument comprisin a cylindrical body member of substant-ia ly uniform diameter having its front portion inturned towards the axis of the device on a relatively easy curve, the radius of which curve increases as the curvature approaches the axis of the device, and terminates in a relatively short rearwardly extending cylindrical flange parallel to the axis of the device, together with a rear section secured to the rear edge of the cylindrical portion and curving inwardly and rearwardly on an easy curve of size and curvature generally corresponding to the terminal portion of a wind instrument with which the mute is to be ,used, substantially as described.v

GEORGE SOHIJUESSELBURG. 

